Hey Now, Girls Play Video Games Too! All Hail the Girl Gamer!

Hey ladies! I’m uber excited to be here on Dirty and Thirty! Just because you’ve lived for nearly 3 decades doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the techier things in life! I absolutely love video games. Through the course of the years, I’ve seen so many changes, revamps, and technology upgrades. The art of gaming isn’t just 2-bit or 3D anymore, it’s world – a place where you can put your everyday life on pause and de-stress.

Although The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been out since last November, I can’t seem to put down the controller. With difference races to choose from, you can customize your character into someone that hits quite close to home. Me? I’m a high elf with extreme magic advantages. There’s a main quest: defeating the dragon Alduin. But then there are TONS more… Whether you want to be good, evil, a little bit of both, you can learn to be an assassin, a thief, a blacksmith. Skyrim’s the limit!

Ok so I’m a girl, andyes – I play video games. I know, I know, I’m hitting that age but I don’t really think we’re ever too old to stray from a console. In fact, video games can actually be beneficial in many ways. For one thing, playing Final Fantasy or Skyrim is definitely more interactive than watching Desperate Housewives or Dancing with the Stars. Invite your friends over, and it’s a safe way to really enjoy yourselves – Mario Party or any Dance Revolution game can definitely be a neat ice breaker!

When I first started gaming, I was a tiny tyke who looked up to my older brother who was what my parents used to call a “Nintendo Maniac”. He had all the game consoles at that time, from Atari to the Turbo Graphic 16 (yes I said it), andI was his guinea pig AKA player 2. From being his Luigi to player 2 in Contra, he didn’t realize he was turning his kid sister into a “Maniac” as well. The rest has been history ever since…

Fast forward to 2012, andWow, the art of gaming changed … It has completely revolutionized! For many loyal fans, today’s Donkey Kong is unrecognizable. It is ten times more high tech, andthere is much more you need to invest when you play games nowadays… It’s just not pressing power andplaying for a couple hours, it’s sleep, dream, think, of the next strategies. It’s googling your quests, it’s choosing your best options, it’s toggling your controller with both hands, andnot just one joystick. It’s a whole mess of new things! Going to conventions, dressing up as a superhero, it’s not just a hobby anymore, it’s a very fun culture!

So I challenge you to get out there andget a game. Go ahead andinvest in an RPG (Role Playing Game) or an MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online Game). It de-stresses, it’s fun, andit can’t disappoint you.

Unlike your love life, if it pisses you off, you can always just shut it off…

Kaori is a California born host who loves video games, and the "geek" stuff. A trilingualist (she also speaks fluent French and Japanese), she earned her Bachelor’s at UC Berkeley (Go Bears!), where she majored in communications and pop-culture. She also studied makeup at the Make-Up Designory school in Burbank. Working as a freelance makeup artist, she does runway shoots, wedding ceremonies, and magazine spreads. She moved to Japan for a couple years, where she was featured in videos of big cultural cities like Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Harajuku. She is now back in Los Angeles, and continues to love hosting and video-journaling her experiences for everyone! She was featured as the event host for the Asian Pacific Film festival, and she has covered events like Comic-Con, Comikaze, Yelp Elite events, and great places to eat. She currently hosts after shows and blogs on Afterbuzz TV. Current TV shows she loves include Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Dancing With The Stars, Mystery Diners and WWE RAW. She is half of White On Rice, a weekly live show of nerdy and techy interests on Spreecast.com, and is a DirtyandThirty.com blogger. On her free time she loves playing Skyrim and hanging out with her dog Wakame.